So interestingly enough, I just searched on www.fueleconomy.gov to check out what the EPA rated the Pentastar in the GC at MPG wise. Incidentally, it lists the EPA ratings for the 2012 Wrangler w/ Pentastar and the 5 spd auto or the 6 spd man. Its rating the wrangler at 17/21 and the unlimited at 16/21. These are 4wd listings. It will not allow me to link the exact page, this is the closest i can get. It's a pretty decent increase from the 15/19 that the '11 was rated. The kicker will be to see if any one can actually obtain these numbers.

That V-6 is probably tapped out to move either vehicle, thats why the mpgs suck. A V-8 would move a Wrangler with authority and without breaking a sweat, wheras that V-6 would just....break. And wouldnt likely sacrifice much mpg if any.

I would have loved 19/23. As it is, my speed 6 only gets me 17/23. I can rationalize having two jeeps in the family if I am only getting 1-2 mpg less on highway with an unlimited. I would have been so cool to drive a wrangler and get better gas mileage.

That V-6 is probably tapped out to move either vehicle, thats why the mpgs suck. A V-8 would move a Wrangler with authority and without breaking a sweat, wheras that V-6 would just....break. And wouldnt likely sacrifice much mpg if any.

I love how a 300-hp engine 'barely moves' a 4200-pound vehicle now, but a 200-hp engine on a 2002 Dodge Ram of the same weight (4x2, reg cab, long bed), 'hauled ***'.

Or how the 170-hp engine on the TJ was plenty to move around ~3500 pounds.

The Pentastar gives 80 more HP and 30 more foot-pounds of torque, available earlier. It'll be just fine to move the JK Unlimited around. You don't need to stick a Hemi in everything.

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"Buying a Jeep for on-road handling is like downloading porn to savor the cinematography."
-TTAC

Youre absolutely right, you DONT need to stick a Hemi in everything. Not everyone will check that option and thats fine. But it needs to have an upgrade available. A V-6 is fine for a casual user but Jeep needs to step up to the plate. That looks pretty bad when your strongest platform is so grossly underpowered. The Wrangler needs some REAL balls. A Hemi or diesel would give it the towing capacity to rival a 1/2 ton pickup. And a Wrangler breathing thru a pair of Magnaflows with a Hemi motivating it is the way a Jeep SHOULD be. V6 is for minivans and toyotas.

It may be just enough to convince the wifey that having two jeeps as our only vehicles is not too stupid. lol. I see no reason why a pentastar wrangler would no do 0-60 in approx the same time as the GC, roughly 8.4 seconds. I'm perfectly fine with my SUV running mid 8's to 60. I don't need a Hemi in a wrangler.

It would have been nice if they could have up'd the tq rating by 15-20. But 285hp/260tq is pretty damn good.

A Hemi or diesel would give it the towing capacity to rival a 1/2 ton pickup. And a Wrangler breathing thru a pair of Magnaflows with a Hemi motivating it is the way a Jeep SHOULD be. V6 is for minivans and toyotas.

No, it wouldn't. Look at the towing capacity of other Pentastar-equipped vehicles. The Grand Cherokee tows 5000, the minivans tow 3600. An FJ Cruiser with Toyota's 4.0L 6-cylinder, which is around 250/250, IIRC, will tow 5000 pounds, too.

The Wrangler tows 3500 pounds by nature of its design-you could shove a 6.7L Cummins in there and it still won't tow well.

A Hemi in a Wrangler is a nifty toy, like the SRT-8 cars. But it sure as hell won't be any more useful. The 3.8L V6 comes off as sluggish solely because of its inappropriate torque curve-hence why the far less powerful 4.0L I6 wasn't seen as sluggish at all-it's all about where the torque comes in.

__________________
"Buying a Jeep for on-road handling is like downloading porn to savor the cinematography."
-TTAC

No, it wouldn't. Look at the towing capacity of other Pentastar-equipped vehicles. The Grand Cherokee tows 5000, the minivans tow 3600. An FJ Cruiser with Toyota's 4.0L 6-cylinder, which is around 250/250, IIRC, will tow 5000 pounds, too.

The Wrangler tows 3500 pounds by nature of its design-you could shove a 6.7L Cummins in there and it still won't tow well.

A Hemi in a Wrangler is a nifty toy, like the SRT-8 cars. But it sure as hell won't be any more useful. The 3.8L V6 comes off as sluggish solely because of its inappropriate torque curve-hence why the far less powerful 4.0L I6 wasn't seen as sluggish at all-it's all about where the torque comes in.

Well then that means one of 2 things: Either theyre trumping up the ability of those vehicles or being WAY conservative with what the Wrangler can do. A minivan with a transaxle, unibody and CV joints wont last any kind of time towing that kind of weight. Theres nothing anyone can say thats going to convince me that such a setup can rival a full-frame 4x4's capability with the same powerplant. A 2-door wrangler is limited by its inherently less stable short wheelbase but the 4-door or a pickup variant wouldnt suffer this. It should be able to do anything a midsize SUV can. The lack of power from that POS V-6 and inferior gearing are whats holding it back. The Hemi would give it the muscle it needs.

I'd much rather a diesel engine wrangler then a hemi. Like said the wrangler needs a low tq engine for towing and off roading easily. The hemi makes the wrangler more a toy then anything. Give me a 240 hp/ 400 tq diesel that gets 19/26 EPA and I would buy That in a heartbeat.

Well then that means one of 2 things: Either theyre trumping up the ability of those vehicles or being WAY conservative with what the Wrangler can do. A minivan with a transaxle, unibody and CV joints wont last any kind of time towing that kind of weight. Theres nothing anyone can say thats going to convince me that such a setup can rival a full-frame 4x4's capability with the same powerplant. A 2-door wrangler is limited by its inherently less stable short wheelbase but the 4-door or a pickup variant wouldnt suffer this. It should be able to do anything a midsize SUV can. The lack of power from that POS V-6 and inferior gearing are whats holding it back. The Hemi would give it the muscle it needs.

What's holding it back is light weight, off-road-oriented suspension, tiny brakes and a narrow wheelbase.

The minivans can tow that much because they're wider and heavier. So too can the FJ.

The Wrangler is rated at 3500 because any higher and you'd have some serious 'wagging the dog' problems. It's not about power-as anybody who's had to drag someone out of a mud hole knows, a Wrangler can drag a whole ton of weight. We've all seen Wranglers of any engine size drag full-size trucks and Hummers out of mudpits.

__________________
"Buying a Jeep for on-road handling is like downloading porn to savor the cinematography."
-TTAC

What's holding it back is light weight, off-road-oriented suspension, tiny brakes and a narrow wheelbase.

The minivans can tow that much because they're wider and heavier. So too can the FJ.

The Wrangler is rated at 3500 because any higher and you'd have some serious 'wagging the dog' problems. It's not about power-as anybody who's had to drag someone out of a mud hole knows, a Wrangler can drag a whole ton of weight. We've all seen Wranglers of any engine size drag full-size trucks and Hummers out of mudpits.

Again, for the 2-door then absolutely. But the 4-door has plenty of wheelbase and weight for a tow rating of 5000 or more pounds. Hell, the XJ is lighter than a TJ and was rated for 5 or 6 thousand pounds if I remember right.